Five Times Daphne Woke Up in Someone Else's Bed
by Distempered
Summary: Daphne Greengrass has had exactly five indiscretions in her life.  Written preDH, so no spoilers and vaguely AU.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters herein depicted. They belong to J.K. Rowling and no infringement is intended. Written pre-DH, so AU and no spoilers.**  
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**Five Times Daphne Woke Up in Someone Else's Bed**

The first time, it was Theodore's bed. Actually, it was her own bed, but Theodore was in it, so Daphne still counts it as an indiscretion. Indiscretion, actually, is not the correct word to use, as nothing of a sexual nature happened -- Theodore is her _cousin_, for Merlin's sake, and while Daphne is not so naïve as to think that sort of thing doesn't happen in pureblood circles, she certainly doesn't _feel _anything for her poor, sweet cousin.

(Besides, Theodore is Tracey's property - she claimed him the moment she laid eyes on him four years ago. Tracey has always been light years ahead of Daphne in her leanings, on account of what goes on in that creepy, half-blooded house of hers -- Muggle men coming in at all hours of the day and night, for shame.)

But Theodore was in her bed because it was the one-year anniversary of poor, sweet Auntie Emily-Anne's death, and Uncle Magnus was swooping through the house in mourning, which Daphne really knew was just a coded way of saying he was drunk again and looking to take out his anger and frustration on the first moving target he saw. Theodore often stayed with Daphne and her family during the summer, but this night was the first time he actually stayed with her in her bed. He wrapped his thin, weedy arms around her and buried his face in her neck. "I miss her, Daffy," he said, in an aching whisper that drummed up a feeling in Daphne's stomach that she'd never felt before. "I want her to come back."

xxx

The second time, it was Pansy's bed. It wasn't an indiscretion on her behalf, nor even on Pansy's behalf, but on the behalf of their parents. Pansy had woken Daphne in the middle of the night, shaking Daphne, practically throttling her into wakefulness. "I can't stand it any longer, you horrid twit, I can't stand it!" she shrieked, unmindful of the three other girls in their dormitory. "You've ruined my parents' marriage! You ruined it!"

Daphne knew what it was all about, of course. It had to be about the reason Cordelia always got so secretive whenever Mr. Parkinson stopped by their home. Daphne had always wondered if Pansy knew the truth about them, although she thought it obvious considering that everyone in her family had such light blond hair and blue eyes, and Pansy knew that. Daphne's own hair was chocolate brown, but she was glad that that was the only trait she'd inherited from Mr. Parkinson. She did love Pansy, after all, but she had such an unfortunate nose.

"Shush, Pansy, darling, it will be all right," she said, soothingly. Daphne got to her feet and pulled her poor, sweet sister into her arms for a hug. Together they moved into Pansy's bed, drew tight the curtains, and fell asleep together, thin arms twined round each other. Sisters shared everything -- joy, laughter, pain, despair.

xxx

The third time, it was Draco's bed, and it most certainly was an indiscretion. Unfortunately, it was after the madness had already set in, and Daphne knew how wrong it was. Mrs. Malfoy had requested her presence, and Cordelia had been more than happy to send her alternately melancholic and manic seventeen-year-old daughter off. She thought Daphne would be safe there, considering the fact that all the Death Eater Dads, her own husband included, would be there as well, as the Manor was their headquarters.

Daphne hated Malfoy Manor, but she never told anyone except Draco that. Upon her arrival, she had curled up her lip in distaste and remarked that the old manse was better suited for smelly old people and certainly not girls of more youthful tastes. That poor, sweet boy appeared only to whisk her away to fly on broomsticks and run through the hedge maze, as if they were children again. He was quite thoroughly mad, she realized, and while a part of her was horrified, another part was very excited.

Draco pulled her into bed with him that very same night, and they spent it wrestling one another to the sheets, wrapping milk-white arms around each other, limbs scissoring, experimentally touching lips and tips of tongues, until it suddenly stopped being a game and started being real. The whole time, Daphne could not stop thinking about how wrong it all was, but she was unsure who was taking advantage of whom.

xxx

The fourth time, it was someone's bed, but she couldn't remember whose it was, and he (or she) wasn't there to let her know. Daphne could not even remember how she'd gotten there, or where _there_ was exactly. She woke with her arms enfolding a warm pillow instead of a warm body. She found it strangely not bothersome, though. In fact, she was more than a little amused with finding herself in such a precarious position. She waited only a few endless minutes for someone to come back, but no one did, so she finally tiptoed around the immaculate flat, gathering her things, and left.

Things had changed since Draco went mad and Pansy deserted and Millicent died and Vince, Greg, and Blaise were carted off to Azkaban and Mina was hidden away and Tracey and Theodore had run off to be with each other somewhere only they knew. Daphne knew that she, too, had changed right along with those things, but a part of her still wished that she was that sweet and innocent carefree little thing that was still _intact_.

It couldn't have been a coincidence that when she left the flat complex that Terence Higgs was just coming in. Her poor, sweet Intended walked with the heavy steps of an injured war criminal (or hero, depending on how she felt that day), and it made her shiver just to see it. Daphne had no intention of marrying Terence, as really he was a bit of a shit. She flashed him a devastatingly charming grin as she passed him, somehow knowing that it would be more than enough fodder for him for the rest of the night. That way, she wouldn't have to come back for a while and accidentally wind up in some other someone's flat.

xxx

The fifth time, it was Zacharias's bed. It was, perhaps, her worst indiscretion to date. Zacharias had always lived next door to the Greengrass family, and Daphne couldn't count on one hand the number of times his Hufflepuff-colored football had wound up in their backyard. She was sunbathing the morning of her eighteenth birthday, her bikini top discarded at her side to avoid those pesky tan-lines, and suddenly he was standing over her, the very picture of arrogance.

"Put on some clothes, for Merlin's sake, Greengrass -- Wayne can hardly concentrate on the game," he said, as if he hadn't even noticed her nudity. It bothered her so much that she did put the top back on and went into the house. It continued to bother her all day long, so much so, that she was forced (honestly, she was forced) to waltz over to his house in the dead of night, knock on the door, and kiss him until she was breathless.

Oh, but it was if he'd been waiting for it his whole life! He gathered poor, sweet Daphne into his strong, Quidditch-honed arms and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. He flung her onto the bed with little pretense, and pressed himself flush against her. He whispered nonsense in her ear about _endless love_ and _you don't know how long I've waited_ and _stay with me forever_. Her breath came in short gasps as he teased her mercilessly before finally succumbing to her and fulfilling her in every way possible.

And the best part was that in the morning, he was still there, arm wrapped tightly around her, unwilling to let her go.


End file.
